Politicsdomestic
Tracking uncovers $80 million spent on AI political ads
Researchers from the Wesleyan Media Project have uncovered that approximately $80 million has been spent on nearly 170 unique AI-generated political ads during the 2026 U.S. midterm campaigns. This cycle marks the first time artificial intelligence is playing a major, regular role in political advertising across television and social media platforms. Despite the massive influx of synthetic media, the vast majority of these advertisements are airing without any official disclosure indicating that AI was used to create them. This lack of transparency has raised urgent concerns among watchdog groups, lawmakers, and researchers regarding election integrity and voter manipulation.